Lighting-up a skyscraper

CINCINNATI (FOX19) – The Fourth and Vine Tower is one of the most recognizable buildings in the Cincinnati skyline, at night the illuminated building can be seen for miles.

So did you ever wonder how do you change light bulb 23 floors above street level?

Well we have the answer!

"It's a neat building you get to do everything hands on...hands-on everything," says Clayton Weaver, a maintenance worker at the Fourth and Vine Tower.

Clayton was hired five years ago to do maintenance nearly 495 feet up and the tricky part is apparently keeping your head out of the clouds.

Weave says the ledge is just three feet wide and there are 36 lights around the building.

Weaver says he never gets scared, "but it gets cold," he said.

If you're wondering, lighting the building doesn't come cheap, the light bulbs inside the decorative lamps cost about $60 a piece.

"You got a ledge that you walk around with a wall, you put safety harnesses on if you need...safety first...that is the biggest thing safety," says Weaver.

If you've been around long enough to notice, the grapefruit-size bulbs and canisters even change color depending on the season and event.

"We do it for the holidays, we change all the lenses around the building, it takes about two hours to do it," says Weaver.

So next time you're downtown and look up to see what's become a beloved icon and city symbol, remember Clayton Weaver is the guy that defies some pretty crazy work environments to make this city symbol shine.